Bernie Sanders to Stump for Rep. Jared Polis in Boulder

Bernie Sanders speaks during a Colorado Amendment 69 rally in October 2016 at Farrand Field on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)

Sen. Bernie Sanders announced a nine-state tour on behalf of Democratic candidates Tuesday morning, including a stop in Boulder to stump for gubernatorial candidate and Boulder native Rep. Jared Polis .

"He wanted to go where he thinks he can be helpful in energizing the base and bringing in young people and independent voters and working-class voters who supported him," Jeff Weaver, Sanders' 2016 campaign manager, and longtime political adviser, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The last time Sanders came to Boulder was as a presidential candidate in 2016. His visit helped him to defeat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary by nearly 20 points, but it could not do the same for Amendment 69, which would have created a statewide program for universal health care, which was defeated by nearly 60 percentage points .

Walker Stapleton, the Republican nominee for governor, said Sanders' support for Polis shows just how extreme his competitor really is.

Advertisement

"Congressman Polis is cementing his status as the most radical gubernatorial candidate in Colorado history by joining forces with a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist," Walker wrote in a statement. "Congressman Polis and Senator Bernie Sanders are two Washington radicals that promise free government programs, but Coloradans know free is really expensive."

In particular, Walker and the Colorado GOP called out Polis' support of government-run health care, 100 percent renewable energy, free education, and anti-fracking proposals, as well as his legislation to repeal President Trump's tax cuts, and his calls for $90 billion in new state spending .

The Colorado Democratic Party, however, feels that Sanders' presence will help motivate their base in favor of Polis as well as his more progressive policy stances.

"We're honored to have Senator Bernie Sanders visit our state to get Colorado Democrats fired up for the midterm elections," Morgan Carroll, the Colorado Democratic party chair, said.

Though the exact details of Sanders' visit have not been released, Eric Walker, a spokesperson for the Colorado Democratic Party, said that information will be confirmed in the next couple of days.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story